The Trouble With Charter Schools

I need to preface this by saying that I love charter schools, at least the ones I know of in the Twin Cities. I think that if it weren't for charter schools there would be no innovation in the field of education. I see charter schools trying out new curriculums and new frameworks for teaching and learning. Most importantly, I see charter schools valuing relationships. Kids are treated like people, parents are treated like people, and yes, even teachers are treated like people. I've also found that out of every 100 charter school teachers, 99 are more passionate and more dedicated than the average teacher in a district school.

Basically, it's all about taking risks. In any creative art form, if you don't take risks, you never grow. "The longer the limb, the sweeter the fruit" or something like that. Charter schools take more risks. They try new things and they could run out of money and close TOMORROW. So accordingly, charter schools draw parents and teachers who are willing to take risks. The number one thing I like about charter schools is that they HAVE a charter or a MISSION statement and they live up to it.

In contrast, most district schools are filled with lots of teachers waiting for retirement or working to pay the mortgage. They endure their three years of probabtionary scrutiny and then they're entrenched for life. And most stop growing. Now, there are TONS of exceptions. Every school in every district has teachers who are truly madly passionate and visionary.

Also, most district schools do NOT have a vision or a mission statement to speak of. The school is run on some vague sense of values such as "we're preparing youth for the world of tomorrow." Well, what does that mean? Preparing them vocationally? Socially? Physically? Most schools neglect to teach kids character and I think that's a big problem. But that's a pretty deep topic in itself.

My biggest peeve with district schools is that I don't get to choose which school I work for. Most of the districts I know of hire centrally. You apply to a district, enter a pool of candidates like some rookie draft pick, and you are placed at whatever school they want. Now, since most jobs are assigned by "bidding" for the best jobs at the best schools, by seniority, the youngest, rawest teachers are by definition placed at the schools that no one wants to work for! The worst schools! I think that's bad for kids and bad for teachers. I teach what I believe and I want to work for a school I believe in. Kids deserve good teachers. The neediest kids deserve the BEST teachers. In Japan they have a system, at least for the junior high schools, where the district rotates teachers on a 2-3 year basis. Now it can be cruel to the teacher who gets reassigned but at least it assures that all the excellent teachers don't pool in any one place.

So, what's wrong with charter schools? A lot. I think if the charter school movement is going to continue they need to have teacher unions. Currently, charter school teachers are subject to ten times the scrutiny while making a lot less money. Most charter schools strive to pay their staff 90% of whatever the surrounding district pays--but no higher. However, first year charter schools are a heck of a lot worse off. They need to put so much of their money into start up costs that the differential becomes huge. As a veteran teacher with a masters degree I was ataking a $10,000 pay cut to work at a start up school while doing ten times the work of any teacher at a district school.

Besides equal pay, there are a lot of other protections of fair treatement that a union can provide. The right to a contract, to be dismissed only with due cause, the right to an hour long duty free lunch and recess break. Most charter schools I know of break all of those rules. The principal desides she doesn't like you--you're gone, instantly. I have a friend who worked for a charter school for 10 years. TEN YEARS! One March, contract renewal comes along and the principal decides not to rehire him without giving any explanation. And by law, she doesn't have to.

As profession, teaching has a high burn out rate. I should do some research and find out exactly how high. The rate at charter schools has got to be higher. Under these conditions, I just don't see how the movement can survive. I love charter schools and have worked for them for 7 of my 10 years. But, like any abusive relationship, I've got to let them go if things are gonna be right. I'll miss you charter schools. I'll always love you--but from afar. You're just no good for me.


Post-Script: This article still needs a LOT of fact checking. If you're reading this and you disagree and/or you have facts that refute or affirm what I've stated, PLEASE let me know. If you know of a teacher's union at a non-district public school, please let me know.